Dealings with Lamias
by Kalika Aryn
Summary: Completed: A girl is trying to keep her sister away from the vampiric lifestyle and to do so, she needs a little help from a certain daywalker.
1. One Deadly Deal

**Warning: Yep, there's some violence. I mean, can you really have Blade in a story and not have violence somewhere? Other then that, there's isn't much. Maybe a few bad words… but that's why it's rated PG-13.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Blade. I don't think I would want to. He's a little scary. I do own the other characters, though once again I had to borrow a name here or there, because I suck at thinking up good names.**

**Dealings with Lamias**

**Part One**

The music roared throughout the club, dozens of bodies moved to the music out on the dance floor. Ann pushed her way between two men and moved away from the dance floor. She felt one of the men's hand linger on her bare leg, but she moved away without bitching at him. It was simpler for her just to leave then confront him. She didn't need things to be any harder for her.

She spotted a space at the bar and pushed her way closer. She wasn't looking for a drink, more for a place to sit and rest. She'd been all over the club already, searching ever corner. It was going to take her the rest of the night to check the dance floor. Ann hoped she might just run into Jamie. 

Suddenly, a loud bang rocketed throughout the club as the back doors were almost blown off their hinges. Standing in the light was a man, dressed all in black, dark sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose. 

_Oh, Jesus, not tonight_, Ann thought as she moved away from the bar. _I'm so damn close._

The man let out a small laugh as everyone became silent. "Didn't mean to put a hamper on everyone's night," came his gruff voice.  At that, four men moved from the dance floor to the backdoors, confronting the man. Ann knew this wasn't going to end well for the four men. Even though they had the quick reflexes that go along with being a vampire, they were no match to Blade, the day-walker.

As the four neared him, Blade pulled out a long sword from behind his back. Ann swallowed and watched it all in morbid curiosity. She could hear the jumble at the door as many of the vampires hurried to escape into the night. She continued to watch as Blade spun the sword, they preceded to cut all four vampires down to dust. 

After that, pretty much pandemonium broke out in the club. Ann stayed away from Blade as well as she could, finally slipping out of the backdoors after he moved farther into the club. She heard the screams of vampires as he continued on his quest to rid the world of all her kind. 

Ann quickly moved down the alley, trying to keep close to the walls of the buildings. Suddenly, she felt a strong hand land on her shoulder and push her around and up against the wall. She was staring into a pair of dark sunglasses and a grinning face. 

"Well, if I haven't caught myself an escapee." 

Ann swallowed deeply and tried to keep her cool. _You can't die, not tonight. Jamie was in there, you know it._ "Please," she said quietly. "Please, Blade. Don't kill me."

Blade pulled back a few inches from the girl. It wasn't normal for a vampire to beg for their life. He studied the girl for few moments, then removed his hand from her shoulder. "Why should I let you live?"

Ann let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She knew she wasn't safe yet, but she was definitely out of the woods. "I need to find my sister first. That's what I was doing at the club."

Blade chuckled and crossed his arms. Ann didn't take it as a good sign. She sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Look, I don't care if you mark me down for dead later, but I need to find my sister first." 

This seemed to catch Blade's attention. "Why so much trouble over your sister?" 

"Because I don't want her to be a part of this life," Ann spat back at him. She was getting pissed for no reason, though it seemed like Blade didn't mind. He continued to grin at her from behind his sunglasses. 

"What in the hell was she doing at a place like Los Diablos?" Blade asked her mockingly. 

Ann glared at him. She knew it was no hope. Blade was going to continue to toy with her, then when he grew tried, he'd kill her with the silver sting of his sword. "She's hooked up with Vassili's group. I heard Diablos is his normal hang out." Ann let out a sigh. "I'd hoped to find her and get her away before she'd changed." She paused for a moment. "Blade, listen to me. I know all about you. You'd have to be an idiot not to know about you in the vampire world, but I need you to do this for me." She took a step closer to him. "If you help, I might be able to find her faster." 

Ann was shocked at herself. This night was not turning out as she wanted it to. Her perfect night would have been running into Jamie outside the club and then getting the hell out of here before any trouble began. Now that was all shot to hell, since she was standing in a dark alley with the epitome of vampire hunters. And not only that, but now she was asking for his help.

It seemed Blade was just as shocked as her. He was studying her silently, or at least that's what she thought he was doing. It was so hard to guess where he was looking with those damn sunglasses on. Ann was feeling a little desperate. She knew that if she got Blade to help her she'd find Jamie in no time. Now that it was down to it, she felt as though she needed Blade. 

"I'll make you a deal," she began slowly. "You help me find my sister and get her away from that ass Vassili, and I'll let you kill me. Hell, maybe you'll even get Vassili too. Killing two birds with one stone? That ain't bad Blade, and you know it."

Blade gave a small grunt at the last sentence and looked down the alley. Ann knew it was a useless plea, but she had to make it, for Jamie's sake. She was shocked when he turned back to her so quickly and nodded his head slightly. 

"I'll help you find your sister," he said slowly. "Not because of you or her, but I've been after that prick Vassili for months now." He paused. "Seems we were both at Diablos tonight for the same reason."

Ann was a little taken aback. She'd never thought Blade would agree in a million years. It was all happening a little too easy. She knew she'd have a big price to pay at the end of all this. Then she realized she'd made a deal for her sister's life for her own. Yeah, the price was already settled on. 

* * *

After that, Ann found herself sitting beside Blade, racing down the highway. If it had been a little earlier in the night, she might have laughed at the irony of the situation, her sitting next to the best vampire hunter in the last eon, but now it was getting very close to dawn and she needed to get home, quickly. 

Thus brought her to Blade's car. She gripped the handle on the side of the door as he passed a slower moving van on the right. She didn't know it, but Blade was watching her out of the corner of his eye. She didn't act like a normal vampire. Vampires do not beg for their lives, they don't feel for others, they don't sit peacefully beside a known hunter. 

"Are you sure you're a vampire?" Blade asked her after a couple of minutes of silence. Ann looked over at him and laughed, showing her fangs.

"Oh yes," Ann said sadly. "I'm a vampire, though I know I don't act it." She sighed and looked out the window. "I hate this life, I do not embrace it like all the others. It's a cursed life, and I don't want my sister to have anything to do with it." 

Blade continued to watch her and the road at the same time. "How did you become like this?"

Ann let out another sigh and closed her eyes. "How about we don't talk about me anymore, ok? Let's talk about Jamie. I suppose you should know what she looks like, in case you see her." Ann dug into her back pocket and pulled out a picture. She then held it out so he could see it.

Two girls grinned at him from the picture. One was Ann. Her short brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her arm was around a blonde beside her. Ann pointed to the blonde. "Jamie is my younger sister, by two years. She still has blonde hair, I would imagine. The best feature to pick her out by, though, are her eyes, if you can get close enough. Like me, we both have two different color eyes." Blade looked completely at her and noticed for the first time that one of her eyes was a light blue while the other was a dark green. "Only, Jamie's are blue and brown."

Blade nodded and turned back to the road. Ann pulled the picture back to her and looked at her little sister. The last time she'd seen Jamie was over a year ago, the day Ann moved away from home. She'd been going to college full time then, but had to quit after the night she was attacked and changed. After that, she couldn't stand to be at home, hiding her new life from her family. 

A few weeks later, she'd packed a few bags and moved into the closest city, Los Angeles. Giving up college had been the second hardest things she'd ever had to do, leaving Jamie behind was the first. Ann could still remember the tears on her cheeks as she hugged Jamie good-bye. She'd given her mom a bullshit story about a great opportunity in the city for a job, and that had been the end of it. Only her father and Jamie knew the real reason she'd had to leave, and that's the way she wanted to keep it.

Suddenly realizing how early it was actually getting, Ann shouted at Blade to turn right at the next stop. Her apartment was only a few blocks away. She needed to get out of the night before dawn broke. She placed her forehead against the glass and looked out at the shadows that whizzed by them.  

Blade took the turn quickly and slowed down a bit as Ann sat up straighter in her seat. "This is fine. I can walk the rest of the way."

Blade gave her a smirk and pulled up to the curb. "Don't want me to see where you live?"

Ann smirked right back at him. "Actually, I don't want the other tenants to see who's giving me a lift home. I'd like to live to see tomorrow night." She pushed open the door, climbed out and slammed it behind her. She was quickly getting the feeling that Blade's help was going to get her into a lot more trouble then she was ready for.

* * *

The next night, after a long day of sleep, Ann was up, pacing her bedroom, waiting for Blade. Ann wanted to go back to Los Diablos to find Vassili or Jamie, but they couldn't just walk in. Blade was known throughout the vampire world as a sworn enemy. Getting into Diablos with Blade and without a riot was going to impossible.

Ann stopped infront of her mirror and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She frowned at her reflection. Her skin was a pasty white and dark circles framed her eyes. She hadn't seen the sun in over a year. She now spent her life in shadows and darkness, watching her step, trying to survive in a new world she'd been thrusted into. 

Ann sighed and looked down at the dresser top. Her parent's smiling face were shining up at her from a frame, reminding her of the life she'd left behind. Another picture next to it was of her and Jamie, ages twelve and ten. Ann swallowed back the lump in her throat and looked back up. She gasped at the reflecting of Blade standing behind her.

"Jesus, Blade!" Ann shouted as she spun around. "What in the hell are you doing?" Ann caught her breath and glared at him. She couldn't believe he was grinning at her from behind those glasses. 

"Well, you should really lock your door from now on," came his sarcastic reply. Ann crossed her arms and frowned at him. Dressed all in black once more, Blade stood like a rock in the door of her bedroom. Like normal, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, keeping his emotions bottled up, away from others.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to just drop in like this," she spat back at him. "So, are we heading back to Los Diablos tonight?" Ann asked as she stepped around the rock and into her living room. She grabbed her coat off a chair and pulled it on. "After your little scare last night, I don't know if Vassili will chase going there again so soon."

Blade leaned against the doorframe, arms still crossed. "Los Diablos isn't Vassili's only hang out. He likes a little unknown spot a few blocks over from Diablos." As Ann listened she looked around her kitchen, trying to find her keys. She finally found them laying on the countertop. She picked them up and turned around towards Blade. 

"Are you talking about Lamia? No one goes to Lamia anymore, not since the fire," Ann said as they stepped back out her door, where she made sure it was locked before they began down the hall.

"Lamia is only for the top guys now a days." 

"And Vassili likes to hang out there?" The two stepped out into the darkness of the night. Ann took a deep breath of the cool air and couldn't help but smile. She always grew tense as the slowly crept her by, hidden in her room. As soon as the sun set, she could finally relax. 

"I figured we could give it a try," came Blade's gruff answer. 

They climbed back into Blade's hell on wheels and took off towards Lamia. Once more, Blade cut through the traffic as Ann gripped the door handle. Blade's voice came as a surprise as he turn sharply around another corner. 

"So you never answered my question. Were you born a vampire?"

Ann continued to stare out the front window. "I wasn't born a vampire, I was made one." Ann paused and took a long breath. "About a year ago I was home alone. An old man came the door, saying he'd just been attacked and mugged. I felt horrible for him, so I let him in and told him the phone was in the kitchen, so he could call someone. I closed the door and suddenly, this guy, this old man attacked me." Ann let out a small laugh. "I was so scared he was going to kill me." She looked out the window and sighed again. "There have been a lot of times in this last year when I wished he just would have killed me."

Ann took a breath and held it for a second. There were a lot of images burning in her head at the moment. The man's face as he told her two boys had just beat him and stole his wallet. She could see herself opening the door wider, letting him into her house. The feeling of his fangs on the side of her neck as she screamed.

"When I woke up, I was covered in blood, but I couldn't figured out where it was coming from. I went into the bathroom and saw the marks on my neck and the damn fangs. I had to spend the next hour cleaning up all the blood."

Blade gave a small grunt and watched the road. "How long until we get there?" Ann asked him after a few quiet moments.

******Notes******

I know, it's a stupid place to end it, but I don't really have a choice. I couldn't fit the whole story into one chapter, so you're getting it in parts. 


	2. Welcome to Lamia

****

Dealings with Lamias

Part Two 

They pulled up outside Lamia twenty minutes later. Blade parked down the block from the club, which still looked like a burnt down building from the outside. Ann kept sending glances at Blade. She didn't know what he was up to, but this did not look like someplace Vassili would be seen at. 

"So, are we just going to walk in?" Ann asked as they walked up to the club's entrance.

Blade gave her a confused look. "Yeah, what did you expect? Breaking in through the windows? Kicking down doors?"

Ann frowned. "Well, I'm not sure, but I'd have to think you're not a welcome guest." They were now standing outside the doors of the so-called club.

Blade had another large smirk on his face. Ann was beginning to hate that look. "Maybe they won't recognize it's me."

Ann groaned and pulled the door open. She was hit by loud music as soon as she stepped inside. She didn't understand how she could have missed this standing outside. The room was dim, but filled with bodies moving around either drinking or dancing. No one seemed to notice for the moment who the rock behind her was and they slowly began moving through the crowd, looking for Jamie.

Ann moved away from Blade after a few moments, towards a large group of women in the corner. They all seemed to be crowded around a man. It took only one glance for Ann to know who was the center of attention. Jared Vassili was perched on the edge of a seat, a beautiful blonde woman sitting on his lap. Her fingers danced around the collar of his shirt as he told a story, his fangs sparkling in the club's lights. 

"The man didn't know what to do. The boys were surrounding him, I mean there was no where for the guy to go. So I stepped up and told him, if he could take me down, he was free to go. For a second I thought the stupid bastard was going to say no. He nodded his fat head and right off the bat, I broke his leg…" Vassili continued on, but Ann wasn't listening. Jamie had just appeared on Vassili's right, sending the woman on his lap a hard glare. 

Ann couldn't stop herself. She broke out from the circle of fans around Vassili and called her sister's name. Jamie looked up, a look of shock on her face. Then it hardened and Ann wasn't sure what was going on. Vassili was grinning from the chair, the blonde standing beside him now. 

"Jamie, my dear, do you know this lovely thing?"

Ann looked over at him, a look of contempt on her face. If he wasn't brainwashing her sister at the moment, Ann might have found Vassili attractive. Tall and thin, his skin was unnaturally tan for a vampire. Ann would have thought him to be fairly new to the world of the night. A few wisps of his black hair threatened to cover his steel blue eyes. Wearing jeans and a tight, black t-shirt, Vassili looked liked a damn dream. Ann could understand how he ensnared her sister so easily. 

"She's no one," came Jamie's harsh reply.

Ann's vision snapped back to her sister. "Jamie…" she trailed off. 

Vassili rose from his chair and took a few steps towards her. "Now, now Jamie. If she came all this way to see you, it must be important," he said sweetly as he studied Ann. She watched him as his eyes scanned up and down her body. "Who are you?"

Ann looked between Vassili and her sister. "My name is Ann. I'm here to take Jamie home." She heard a few laughs from those around her, but she continued to hold Vassili's gaze. 

The laughter from the crowd seemed to register with Vassili. He grinned at her and let out a small laugh. "Well, Miss Ann, I do believe it's up to Jamie whether she stays or goes."

Ann closed her eyes and opened them again. She just wanted to grab Jamie and get the hell out of there. She'd never make it past Vassili though. They were both vampires, but Vassili had more experience in fighting then she did. She cursed herself for not working on her abilities more. 

"Jamie, please, just come with me," she pleaded to her sister, but Jamie just turned away. Ann felt her blood boil and she took a step towards her kid sister. Vassili laughed and stepped between the two. He opened his arms and smiled at Ann. "Ladies, please, not in a public place. We wouldn't want to see any blood spilt here." 

Ann was fuming, but she kept quiet and wondered where in the hell Blade was. Vassili turned Jamie around so she was facing her sister again. "Why don't we all get together to discuss this little matter?" 

"Sounds like a great plan," came a very familiar voice from behind Ann. She couldn't help but smile a little at the look on Vassili's face. 

Blade moved beside her and grinned evilly at the vampire. "Blade," Vassili stammered out. "What in the hell are you doing here? How in the hell did you get in?" 

Every vampire that had been watching their little exchange had now taken a few steps back, inching away from the vampire hunter. "Now, I don't really think that's important Vassili. All that matters now is where you want to meet for later." 

Ann couldn't believe the terror in Vassili's eyes, there was no mistaking it. He tried to smile, but his face seemed to be stuck on an odd mixture between a grin and grimace. "The invitation was for the lady only, Blade." 

"Well, we're working together at the moment, Vassili, so where I go, he goes," Ann tried to say as sweetly as she could. She really didn't want to piss Vassili off anymore then she needed to, but she definitely didn't want him to think he had the upper hand in all this. 

Vassili glared at her, but pulled himself back together. "Fine." With that, he stepped right up next to Ann, so close to her ear she could hear him breathing. "Two hours, down the road at the gallows." Then he pulled back and walked off, Jamie right on his heels. She didn't even give Ann a second look as she passed by. 

Ann didn't understand what was going on. Why was Jamie so pissed off at her? Ann looked over at Blade and was about to tell him when Vassili said before she forgot, when she suddenly remembered where they were. Thirty or so vampires surrounded them, thirty or so vampires that did not look too happy with Ann and her rock. 

Blade seemed to read her mind as he turned his head from left to right, looking at those around them. "Well," he said loudly. "I guess I'll be seeing most of you later." With that, Blade parted a few of them and moved away from the crowd. Ann followed closely behind him, trying not to get lost. 

Ann let out a long sigh of relief as they stepped out of the club's entrance. "You always make friends so easily, Blade?" she asked with a frown. 

Blade ignored her and started down the street to his car. "What did he tell you?" 

Ann began trotting behind him, trying to keep pace. "He said we're to met in two hours, at some place called 'the gallows.' I've never heard of it."

"I have. It's an old warehouse where they used to hang humans." A sound of distaste had enter Blade's voice. "They'd bleed out their victims as they hung from the rafters." Ann frowned at the ground and followed behind him. She could picture the poor souls hanging above the vampires. "They closed it down a few years ago."

"Why?" Ann asked quietly.

"I staked it out one night," came the solemn reply. 

Ann stood beside the door of the black car and looked down the street. "Well, we've got an hour to kill."

"I thought you said two hours."

"I did, but I want to be there earlier. I've never seen the place and I want to know what I've gotten myself into before Vassili gets there." Blade smiled at that and slide in behind the wheel. Ann was seated next to him.

"So what was wrong with your sister?" 

Ann sighed and began to massage her temples. "I'm not sure. I don't understand why she was so mad at me. Maybe my mother…" she began slowly, then stopped. 

"Your mother…?"

Ann looked over at Blade. "My mom doesn't know I'm a vampire, just my father. I never told her, well, because I don't think she could have handled it like my dad did. I don't know. Jamie might just be pissed I left."

Blade turned a sharp corner and brought them to a dark road with barely anything on it. The only thing Ann could see was a dark house set back away from the road. 

Suddenly, Ann had a sharp pain in her head. She gasped and pressed her hand to her head. She hadn't drunken yet today. "Shit," she cursed under her breath.

"You alright?"

"We have to go back to my apartment, now," Ann said quickly.

"Why?" Ann was a little surprised at the concern in Blade's voice. She didn't have time to think about it at the moment though.

Ann closed her eyes and sat back in the seat, breathing slowly. "I need to drink. Damnit, I should have done it before I left, but I was so anxious about Jamie."

"So why your apartment?" 

Ann didn't answer for a few minutes. Blade glanced over at her every once in awhile. "Ann?"

"I have blood at my apartment," she said bluntly.

****

****Notes****

"He had it coming, he had it coming, he only had himself to blame…" Sorry. We're listening to the Chicago soundtrack. Someone reviewed that I should have more action in my story, since, granted it does contain Blade. Well, I'm hoping you guys will like the next chapter. I'm not very good yet at writing action sequences, but I'm working on it. [Disclaimer is back at the beginning.]


	3. What A Vampire Really Is

****

Dealings with Lamias

Part Three

It only took them a few minutes before they were pulling up in front of Ann's apartment. Ann's head was pounding. She felt a rough hand grab hers and pull her up and out of the car. She thanked Blade quietly and stepped up to the door. She didn't notice much of anything as she climbed up the stairs, all she could concentrate on was the blood she knew was in her apartment.

When she got into her apartment, she moved right to the refrigerator. She heard Blade close the door behind her as she opened the freezer door. Blade watched her pull out a large glass filled with dark red blood. With her back turned to Blade, Ann took a long drink from the cold glass. Normally she would have waited for the blood to warm a little, but she didn't have a choice today.

The minute the blood hit her lips, Ann's headache began to subside. She felt the blood coating the back of her throat, the warmth dripping down, filling her up. 

After she'd drunken a few ounces, she pulled the glass back from her lips and let out a content sigh. She set the glass down on the counter and wiped the blood from her lips. She turned around and leaned against the counter.

Blade stood infront of her, arms crossed again. Ann groaned and pushed past him. "Don't' give me that look Blade." He reached out and grabbed her arm as she pasted. She stared him in the eye, or at least what she figured was his eye, since he still wore those damn sunglasses. "It's not like I have a choice." At that, Blade let her go and she stepped back from him. 

"Why not drink from a live source?" Blade asked her back as she turned away from him. She took the glass, now half empty and set it back in the freezer.

"I tried, but I couldn't do it for some reason. I kept seeing them, instead of the blood. Lucky for me, my father works at a hospital. Every once in awhile, he can sneak out a few pints of blood without a glance. If he didn't, I'd probably be dead now."

Ann turned back around and looked at her watch. "We'd better go. It's already been an hour." She walked over to the door and pulled it open, only then realizing Blade wasn't following her. He was still standing in the kitchen, arms still crossed. "Blade?"

He seemed to hear her this time. He dropped his arms to his sides and followed her out the door. Ann wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but she wasn't in the mood to think about it. She was still ruffled by the fact Jamie had acted so harshly towards her. If she was pissed that Ann had left home, then there was nothing for Ann to do about it. Leaving home had been the only choice for Ann at the time. Her mother was so suspicious from the beginning and there was no way her mum would understand. 

They were back in the car, heading out to the gallows before either of them spoke again. "You're not a normal vampire, you know that right?" Blade asked as he stared straight ahead. Ann was a little startled by his voice. She'd been staring out the window, still thinking about Jamie.

"I know I'm not cold-blood like they are. The first time I tried to drink from someone, I just kept picturing this man, out home with his children or wife. I couldn't just see them as another drink." Ann sighed. "Maybe it's because I still lived with my family after it happened. I still saw them…" Ann trailed off. Then she laughed a little. "Or maybe I just suck at being a vampire, and everything that comes with it."

Ann turned back to the window. "I don't think you have much room to talk though, Blade. It's not like you're the normal vampire yourself." 

She heard him give a small grunt, then he turned another corner and Ann felt the car pick up speed. Ann looked over at him and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it." Blade remained silent. "Jesus Blade. You can't hold yourself so goddamn far above the rest of us," Ann spat at him.

At that, Blade turned to look at her for a few moments before he went back to the road. "What in the hell are you talking about?" His voice was freakishly calm. Ann stop herself from yelling back at him. 

"The rumors that go around about you. Everyone says you think we're the scum of the earth, even though you came from that scum. How can you condemn those who are the most like you?"

"Because someone has to," came his blunt reply. 

Ann continued to stare at him. "That's it?" she asked him. "That's all you're got for an answers?" He said nothing. "That's bullshit Blade, and you know it." She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. After a few moments of silence she spoke again. "I don't expect you to tell me everything about your life Blade, but I was hoping for something to make me understand. Something to help me understand anyways." 

The rest of the ride was silent as they made their way to the gallows. When they finally pulled to a stop, they were almost out in the middle of no where. Their road at dead-ended into an old warehouse, just as Blade had said. The darkness added an creepy effect to the whole situation. A few sparse trees surrounded the warehouse, some shrubs and bushes were scattered around. 

The warehouse itself appeared to be two stories from the outside. A few of the windows were busted out, probably by a few teens on a bet. One of the double doors was propped open, giving Ann a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Blade had already started towards the door. His strides were set with a purpose and Ann was suddenly very grateful for his presence. 

Ann hurried and caught up with him, stepping up to his side just as they neared the door. Blade motioned for her to stay quiet. As he peered through the crack in the door, Ann checked her watch. They still had fifteen minutes until Vassili's deadline. 

Blade pushed the door open slowly, Ann followed behind him. No surprise to Ann, the inside of the warehouse was a wreck. Rusty chains hung from a few rafters, remains of the warehouse's dirty past. Almost every surface was covered in a thick layer of dust. The whole place was covered in shadow. The darkness outside seemed to be multiplied in the warehouse. 

Their footsteps echoed throughout the space. Ann was more alert then she'd ever been. She was finally using her vampiric senses. She could make out the outline of a door at the end of the warehouse, she could smell the dust and odors of decay all around her, and she could hear a faint breathing from behind them.

Ann whipped around and saw a man standing to the side of the door. She began to take a step towards him, but Blade was there first. The man hissed and stepped out of the shadow. His fangs sparkled in the darkness, though it had no effect on Blade, who pulled out a familiar sword. Blade moved in front of the man, took one long swipe and the man was gone, turned to dust. Ann backed away from Blade as he placed the sword in the sheath on his back. 

"Blade, you are constantly a pain in my ass," came a smooth voice from behind the two. They both turned to find Vassili standing a few paces away, Jamie wasn't with him. 

"Where's my sister?" Ann asked in the toughest voice she could muster. 

Vassili smiled. "She in the back, but I wanted to make a proposition to you first Ann. Jamie told me about you, how you were changed." 

Ann eyed Vassili suspiciously. "So?" 

Ann could feel Blade tensing behind her. She knew this wasn't his style. If it had just been him, then Vassili would be gone by now, a pile of dust to match the one now sitting next to the front door. Ann wasn't sure if listening to Vassili was the best thing to do at the moment, but until she saw Jamie, it was her only choice.

"Well, you've already been damned Ann. I know that's why you want Jamie." He grinned at her. "You want to save her."

Ann crossed her arms and said nothing. "So Ann, here's the deal. It's quite simple, you for her." With his last statement, a man stepped out of the door in the back of the warehouse. Ann watched him approached and noticed he was holding someone. Ann felt her heart sink when she saw Jamie laying in the man's arms. 

"Jesus," Ann whispered. She began to take a step towards her sister, but Blade's arm landed on her shoulder and kept her still. "What in the hell did you do to her you sick bastard?" 

Ann's reaction caused Vassili to laugh. "Oh, nothing really. Don't worry so much, Ann. She'll wake up in a few hours and be as good as new."

The man came to a stop behind Vassili. Ann stared at her sister's lifeless form, draped across his arms. She watched Jamie's chest rising and falling slowly. Ann gave a small sigh of relief and looked back to Vassili. "Me for her? That's it? You'll let her go, without a fight?" 

Vassili nodded his head, the grin still plastered to his face. Ann dropped her arms to her sides and lowered her head. She knew it wasn't really a choice. She looked up and nodded her head. "Fine. Deal." At her words, she heard Blade give a small grunt. She didn't really care about him, or Vassili, just as long as Jamie was safe. 

Vassili gave a small laugh. "Wonderful!" He turned and nodded to the man holding Jamie. The guy stepped around Vassili and laid Jamie on the ground in front of Ann. 

Ann dropped to her knees and grabbed Jamie's hand. "Jamie. Come on Jamie," she whispered to her sister. Jamie remained still. Ann cursed Vassili silently. She stood up and turned to Blade. "Get her out of here."

Blade made no move. Ann cursed under her breath and stepped up in front of him. "Blade. Take Jamie away from her. Take her to my apartment. Take her to a hospital. Take her anywhere but here, ok?" 

"This is stupid, Ann," Blade said suddenly. Ann continued to stare at him. "You can't trust Vassili."

"You don't think I know that?" Ann asked him. "I don't have a choice."

Blade stood silent for a moment, then nodded his head. At that, he bent down and picked Jamie up, then turned and walked out of the warehouse. 

As the door closed behind the two, Ann turned back to Vassili. His sidekick had left, leaving Vassili standing alone. He had his normal grin on his face. "So Ann, Jamie has told me a lot about you. She told me about your whole family actually." He began circling her as he spoke. Ann watched him from the corner of her eye. When he disappeared behind her back, she fought the urge to turn. 

"Jamie never knew when to keep her mouth shut." Vassili laughed at that. Ann felt him place his hand on her shoulder. Ann tensed, but stood still. Ann wasn't sure how far away Blade was yet, and she didn't want to risk Jamie's life. 

Vassili's hand ran over her shoulder, up the side of her neck, and then he cupped her chin, turning her face towards his. "Shit," he laughed. "You have the same bloody eyes as Jamie." 

Ann pulled her face out of his grasp and stepped back. "What did you tell Jamie?"

Vassili laughed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Oh, nothing to bad. Just that you'd gone against your father. That you were drinking from live sources. She didn't believe it at first, but I changed her mind," Vassili said with a smirk. 

Ann swallowed thickly and clenched her fist. "Goddamn you Vassili." 

"Oh, come on Ann. Call me Jared. We're going to be together a lot now." Vassili leered at her. His eyes roamed over her body. "I must say, you are a very attractive woman." 

Ann couldn't stand it anymore. She lashed out her foot. Vassili was not expecting her retaliation. Her foot connected with the side of his head. Ann continued her spin and landed another kick into his stomach. Vassili was on his knees in a matter of seconds. 

Ann stepped back from him. Vassili was taking a few shaky breaths as he climbed back to his feet. Ann felt a burst of adrenaline rush through her body. She dropped down and swiped her leg under Vassili's, bringing him down to the ground for a second time. 

Vassili was ready for her this time though. The minute he hit the ground, he was up again. He grabbed her arm and brought it behind her. He pinned it against her back and wrapped his other arm around her stomach. Ann felt the bone in her arm closing in on the breaking point and she squirmed to get away from him. 

"Stop moving or I'll break it!" Vassili shouted as he pulled even more on her arm. Ann let out a gasp and stood still. About a million thoughts were racing through her mind. "Damn Ann," Vassili laughed. He was still trying to catch his breath. "You are definitely the more spirited sister." With that, Vassili snapped her arm and Ann dropped to her knees. A groan escaped her lips and she cradled her broken arm. Bright lights flashed before her eyes and she tried desperately to keep herself from blanking out.

She heard Vassili laugh from above her. Ann looked up at him through her tears. She was pissed at him, but more so at herself for crying. She sucked in a breath and stood up. It would take her a few hours to heal her arm, and she didn't have that kind of time. Her legs were pretty shaky, but they held her up. 

Vassili stood in front of her, grinning like a fool. "Now, are you ready to come with me?" 

Ann glared at him, then she spit in his face. His grin disappeared instantly. Ann heard him growl with anger, then he was on her again. They both fell to the ground, Vassili on top of Ann. Her arm was pinned between the two and Ann cried out in pain. 

Vassili's hands snaked their way to her throat. He squeezed just tight enough to cause Ann to quit moving. Her eyes were wide as she watched him above her. Only one of her arms were free. She mustered all the strength she could and punched Vassili in the side of his head. 

It was enough to caught him off guard and his grip on her neck lessened. She took a deep breath of air, then pushed Vassili off her. He had his hand pressed against the side of his head. She was happy to see some blood on the collar of his shirt. 

Before he could regain all his senses, Ann kicked him again. Her foot landed right into his side, under his arm, then again into his stomach. She didn't stop. She lost control of what she was doing, all that mattered to her was that this was the man that had hurt Jamie, turned Jamie against her and that had broken her arm. 

By the time Ann was completely out of breath, Vassili was on the ground, beaten and broken. Blood now poured down the side of his head and it trailed down the edge of his mouth. His eye was blackened and swollen shut. This wasn't the man from Lamia. This man was pathetic, he was nothing. 

Ann stepped back from Vassili and bent over half way, supporting herself with her hand on a knee. Her breathing was pretty shallow, but she had a hold of it. She cleared her throat and straightened herself. "You will leave my sister alone. You will leave my family alone," she said slowly. "I don't ever want to see you in L.A. again Vassili. I don't care where you go, as long as it's away from here."

With that, Ann turned away from him and walked out of the warehouse. She heard him lay his head back down on the ground. She thought he might have finally passed out, but she didn't really care. As she pushed the door open she was hit by the coolness of the night. She glanced down at her watch and saw she had about an hour before dawn. 

Suddenly, Blade's black-as-midnight car rolled to a stop in front of her. He climbed out of the drivers seat and took a few steps towards her. She smiled at him and nodded her head. Then she looked into the car. "Where's my sister?" 

"She's in the back, still out cold though." Blade nodded his head towards the warehouse. "Vassili still in there?"

Ann nodded her head and moved towards the car. She turned and leaned against the hood. She watched Blade disappear into the warehouse. She waited for a few minutes, then lowered her head. She listened for the crunch of Blade's footsteps as he returned. She knew better then to ask any questions as they both climbed into his car.

****

****Notes****

Pretty long part, I know. It's all action-packed goodness though. I'm hoping everyone will be able to realize what happened to Vassili. I didn't really want to explain it. See when Blade gets pissed at someone, they don't have very long to live. Blade was pissed at Vassili. Can you make the connection now? Anyways, next chapter is the last chapter. I know, this story is pretty short, but whatcha gonna do? [Disclaimer? Oh yeah. I think I saw him up at the front of the line.]


	4. Collecting on a Deal

**Dealings with Lamias**

**Part Four**

They stopped right outside her apartment this time. Blade carried Jamie's body up the stairs to Ann's apartment, where he laid her on the couch. Ann knelt down besides her little sister and stroked her forehead. Jamie's eyelids flickered but remained closed. Ann stood back up and sighed. "I guess we'll have to wait a few more hours," she said more to herself.

She turned to Blade and gave him a small smile. "I really don't know how to thank you Blade," she said quietly. He stared at her from behind his sunglasses. 

"Yes you do," he said gruffly. 

Realization struck Ann suddenly. She'd completely forgotten about her deal. She solemnly nodded her head and stepped away from the couch. "Right," she said quietly. She took a deep breath and looked over at Jamie. Blade had held up his end of the deal, now it was her turn.

Blade stepped in front of her, then stuck out his hand. Ann gave him a curious look, but slowly took his hand in hers. "I think I'll hold off collecting on this deal for awhile," Blade said as he shook her hand. 

"What?" Ann wasn't sure she'd heard him right.

He released her hand and took a step back. "Well, I'd hate to have to kill both of you. Someone's going to have to look after your sister, for awhile anyways."

Ann's mouth dropped open to speak, but she didn't have anything to say. Blade seemed to understand. He smiled at her, then turned towards the door. Just as he was stepping through, he looked back at her. "Don't think I won't be watching you now though, Ann. The minute I see you acting like a real vampire, I'll be back to finish this." Ann just nodded her head and he left her alone with Jamie.

* * *

It took another hour for Jamie to finally wake up. Ann was sitting at her kitchen table, massaging her arm back to normal when Jamie sat up on the couch. Ann jumped in her seat, but quickly recovered. "Jamie?" she asked quietly. Jamie seemed to still be a little out of it. She looked around the apartment and didn't seem to see Ann for a few moments.

Ann got up from the table and crouched down in from of Jamie. "Jamie, how are you feeling?"

Jamie finally saw her. ""Ann?" she asked quietly. Her voice was pretty gruff. Ann told her to wait a minute and she went to get a cup of water for her sister. After Jamie had taken a long drink, she cleared her throat. "Ann? What's going on?"

Ann settled herself on the ground infront of her sister and smiled at her. "Nothing's going on now. Everything's ok." Jamie looked Ann in the eye and Ann realized she was crying. "Jamie? Jamie what's wrong?"

"Oh Ann," she cried. "Ann, what happened? Why did you do all that?"

Ann sighed and lowered her head. "Vassili lied to you. I haven't done anything he said I did."

Jamie shook her head. "But he said-" 

Ann's head snapped up before Jamie could finish. "Jamie! I wouldn't do that. Listen to me, he lied to you. I know it's hard for you to understand, but as a vampire he's got the ability- He can control your mind, partially anyways. He could have told you the grass is purple and you would have believed him."

Jamie just continued to stare at her. Ann sighed and placed a hand on Jamie's knee. "Look, Jamie, it just matter what you think of me, right now anyways. Just please, please promise me you won't get back into this life again. Please, Jamie. It's no good. It's not something you want to be a part of."

Jamie's eyes were filled with tears again and Ann could feel herself getting emotional as well. She took a deep breath and said again, "Please, Jamie. Promise me you'll go home and stay there." Jamie nodded her head and Ann smiled. She got up on her knees and hugged her sister.  "Thank God," Ann whispered. 

Blade nodded his head as he watched the scene from the building across from Ann's. He knew the sister would go back home and Ann would keep an eye on her from here on out. Blade headed out of the building and climbed back into his car. He was expecting Ann to become a full-fledged vampire anytime soon, now that she had her sister back, but he'd still check in every once in awhile. 

******Notes******

Ok, so... yeah. I think I watched both Blade movies for the first time in the same weekend. I liked the first one way more then the second, but that's just my opinion. Frost was amazing. Anyways, back to the story. Umm, It's kinda got an odd ending, but I wasn't sure where I wanted it to end up. I was just as surprised as all of you then. Hope you liked it. Reviews are always welcomed. [Disclaimer is back at the beginning.]


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